Saturday, November 29, 2008

Nearest Book Meme

1. Grab the nearest book.2. Open the book to page 56.3. Find the fifth sentence.4. Post the text of the next seven sentences in your journal along with these instructions.5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

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Now things were different, and he cared enough to have figuratively backed Mitch up against the non-figurative wall of Thomajon's, a small bistro on Sunset Strip. They had been friends since meeting at a studio party and discovering that they were fellow Chicagoans, transplanted like the palm trees. Both had been dutifully nostalgic about the Loop, critical of L.A., and cynical about the movie business. Now, three years later, Mitch was working steadily behind a camera, pulling in large, satisfying paychecks, and Legget, a man with producing aspirations, had drifted, bobbed, sunk, floated, and somehow survived the Hollywood waters.

There was no doubt in Legget's mind about why Mitch had been reluctant to see him, not after their last psyched-up luncheon at Tail o' the Cock. "Look, let's not even talk about that," Mitch said generously, waving his blunt fingers in a wipe across the past. "You were pretty low, Norman; this town had you talking to yourself. Uh, by the way, you working?"

from "The Moving Finger Types" by Henry Slesar, a part of "Don't Open This Book!", featuring selections chosen by Marvin Kaye.

I am tagging anyone who wishes to participate - let's see what book you have right next to you!